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发帖数: 14743 | 1 Evanston 12-year-old was arrested, put in a police wagon and taken to the
police station after officers saw him riding on the back of a bicycle that
went through a red light, the boy's father said.
"I realize and recognize we need police. But why are we arresting a 12-year
old?" said Robert Bady, whose son, Iain, 12, was arrested in downtown
Evanston after riding on the back pegs of his friend's BMX bike July 14.
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Bady spoke at the Evanston City Council meeting Aug. 14, telling aldermen he
was upset his son, who is African-American, faced such serious consequences
over something so minor.
"What did he do that was so egregious?" asked Bady.
He ran for 8th Ward alderman in April, losing to the longtime incumbent by
only 13 votes, according to election results from the Cook County Clerk's
office.
Bady wondered what, other than race, could have prompted officers to arrest
the boy instead of talking to him or taking him to his parents' home.
The episode began, according to Iain Bady, after he and another friend got
on the back pegs and handlebars, respectively, of a third friend's bicycle
for a ride from Burger King to Starbucks downtown.
"I do realize now that was a poor decision. I did not know it would get me
arrested," Iain Bady said.
The friend controlling the bicycle "drove straight into traffic against the
light, making two cars slam on the brakes and honk at us," Iain Bady
acknowledged.
The police followed Iain Bady into Starbucks, he said, and arrested him.
They did not arrest the boy who was controlling the bike, he said.
Officers told Bady he could not call his sister, who was also downtown, but
instead told him he would be taken to the station, where his parents would
need to pick him up, he said.
Evanston Police Commander Joseph Dugan confirmed that the boy had been
arrested and said the episode was under investigation. He declined to
comment further except to say that the officers who arrested Iain Bady were
not put on leave during the investigation.
Police declined to immediately provide a copy of the police report.
Documents provided by Bady state that his son was issued a citation/summons
for "bicycles obstructing traffic."
"Iain Bady was taken into protective custody after behaving dangerously on a
bicycle," the police report Bady provided reads. "He was taken to (the)
Evanston Police Department for his safety."
According to the department's Conditions of Formal Station Adjustment, Bady
was referred to juvenile court. Additional direction included, "don't ride
bikes recklessly in traffic."
Bady said he now needs to retain an attorney.
"I'm not saying my son wasn't doing anything wrong by riding on the back of
a bike across the street," Bady said. But, he added, a better strategy would
have been for the officers to talk to the kids.
"My son wasn't kicking, he wasn't shooting, he wasn't spitting on an officer
. He was just standing" when officers approached him at Starbucks, Bady said
. He noted that his son did not talk back to police, was not shoplifting or
hanging out with kids who do.
"Make an apology and say you're sorry ... Sorry goes a long way," he said.
After the meeting, Bady called his reaction to the arrest a "slow boil,"
with him gradually becoming more upset as it sunk in what had happened.
"Evanston is not the most liveable city for me," Bady said. "He was just
downtown being a kid."
Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward, extended his sympathies to the Bady family.
"I could not imagine in my worst nightmares having to deal with these
circumstances," Braithwaite said. "Under no circumstances does this begin to
live up to Evanston standards."
Ald. Cicely Fleming, 9th Ward, also shared her support for the Badys.
"I hold our police department to a very high standard," Fleming said. "I am
committed to making sure we do a full investigation, which does ideally
include an apology for the behavior that was displayed to your son."
Bady said his reasoning in coming before the City Council was to draw
attention to the different set of circumstances an African-American child
might face when encountering police.
"I just want you to realize, and the city to realize, what a hazard it is to
be a black male," Bady said.
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Twitter @GenevieveBook
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